Trailer Talk: The Holdovers, Perpetrator, and more!

The Holdovers

I love this trailer. I love how old school it feels, I love the rhythm of it, the editing, the freeze frame at the end. It’s also nice to see a glimpse of the new flick from Alexander Payne. It’s been a while since he’s hit the scene, probably recovering from Downsizing, but I’m glad to see him back. This definitely feels like his wheelhouse. I also like seeing him work with Paul Giamatti again. Truly one of cinema’s greatest yellers.

The Holdovers opens in select theaters on October 27th before expanding on November 10th.

Perpetrator

Very interesting. I quite liked Jennifer Reed’s Knives And Skin from a few years back. She has a really interesting approach, and a great handle on creating an ominous but intriguing atmosphere. This trailer is definitely holding some secrets, but I’m glad, it looks like it has some fun surprises in store, and I’m very curious to see how Reed grows as a filmmaker.

Perpetrator hits select theaters and streams on Shudder starting September 1st.

Dear David

Well, this looks…not very good. I don’t particularly care for Adam Ellis, but I did find his tweets about the ghost in his apartment to be pretty effective stuff. Unfortunately, this is definitely no Zola, which I didn’t love either, but at least did a better job at telling an interesting story via Twitter thread whereas this looks very generic and uninteresting. Not to sound too harsh, but it definitely has that Walmart bargain bin vibe. But who knows, if word is good, I might check it out.

Dear David opens in select theaters and VOD platforms on October 13th.

The Pod Generation

Very interesting premise. I haven’t seen anything from Sophie Barthes before, so not sure what to expect here. Emilia Clarke and Chiwetel Ejiofor feels like very random pairing, but they do both look like they’re giving it their all here. It seems like a lot of ideas are being tackled here, and my hope is that it doesn’t all get crushed under the weight of trying to serve all those ideas, instead focusing on a small few more thoroughly. This is one I’ll keep my eye out for.

The Pod Generation hits select theaters on August 11th.

Mutt

Looks good to me. Obviously it’s a very direct and pointed film in its messaging, but it’s a message worth hearing, especially at this point in time when trans rights are actively being challenged and restricted more and more day by day. Movies like this help explore different perspectives and points of view, allowing people to empathize with people we might not know in our own lives, or that we know of at least. I hope this film finds its audience.

Mutt opens in select theaters on August 18th.

Birth/Rebirth

This looks fun. This appears to be Laura Moss’ feature debut as a filmmaker, having mostly done shorts, and by the looks of her IMDb page, her shorts look bananas, so if that is of any indication of what this film is like, this could be something really cool. The premise is a lot of fun, you got some really good actors here, and it looks twisted in all the best ways. Definitely looking forward to this one.

Birth/Rebirth opens in select theaters on August 18th.

Thoughts on any of the trailers? Feel free to discuss in the comments!